The Green Key awarded attraction, Anglesey Sea Zoo from Wales has won the Ethical Green Business of the Year award at the Federation of Small Business Awards in Cardiff and will participate in the UK final in London in May 2019
The Anglesey Sea Zoo supports environmental concerns through marine research and conservation as well as education and visitor engagement within the aquarium. They are committed to providing visitors a fun yet educational experience so as well as sharing the diversity of British marine wildlife, they teach their visitors about the various challenges, threats and the impact of human behaviour on the seas. The Anglesey Sea Zoo has proudly held the Green Key accreditation since May 2016 and were the first business on Anglesey to be recognised with the award.
The Anglesey Sea Zoo minimises waste and recycles across all departments of the business – even recycling their waste electrical items through a scheme that benefits Keep Wales Tidy. They undertake a regular series of beach cleans with a network of volunteers and record and relay details of their findings for use by the Marine Conservation Society.
The water for the aquarium is pumped directly from the Menai Strait, thus creating as natural environment as possible within the tanks, with the rest of the water used around the site as well as their electricity use being carefully monitored.
The café strives to use as much locally sourced ingredients as possible and has switched to paper straws and reusable take-out cups. Outside areas are planted with native species to encourage pollinators and wildlife and they endeavour to use fun signage to educate their visitors on all aspects of the site – not just the marine life!
To improve their carbon footprint further 2017 saw the Anglesey Sea Zoo undertake a large project to install a solar array. They invested in a 50kW PV system of 166 high-efficiency solar panels. These contribute significantly to the overall energy consumption requirements of the business making the Anglesey Sea Zoo the first solar powered aquarium.
Frankie Hobro, Owner & Director, Anglesey Sea Zoo said: “Environmental sustainability and conservation sit at the heart of everything we do here at the Anglesey Sea Zoo as we strive to protect our surroundings and minimise our impact. The Green Key was therefore a natural choice for us and ensured that we reviewed every aspect of our business. Whatever your starting point, there are always more ways for businesses to lessen their environmental impact and the Green Key award gently guides us to consider different areas and ways in which we can progress.”
For more information, visit the website of Anglesey Sea Zoo: https://www.angleseyseazoo.co.uk/.